Clinical recommendation	Evidence rating	References
Relative rest and reduced activity prevent further damage and promote healing and pain relief. There are no clear recommendations for the duration of rest and avoidance of activity.	C	*
Cryotherapy provides acute relief of tendinopathy pain and its use is widely accepted. Repeated applications of melting ice water through a wet towel for 10-minute periods are most effective.	B	14
Eccentric strengthening is an effective treatment of tendinopathy and may reverse degenerative changes.	B	15–17
NSAIDs are recommended for short-term pain relief but have no effect on long-term outcomes. Topical NSAIDs are effective and may have fewer systemic side effects. It is unclear whether NSAIDs are better than other analgesics.	B	18–20
Locally injected corticosteroids may be more effective than oral NSAIDs in acute-phase pain relief but do not alter long-term outcomes.	B	21–23
No conclusive recommendations can be made for the use of orthotics and braces in patellar tendinopathy or elbow tendinopathy. Clinical experience and patient preference should guide therapy.	B	24,25
Therapeutic ultrasonography, corticosteroid iontophoresis, and phonophoresis are of uncertain benefit for tendinopathy.	B	27,30
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy appears to be a safe, noninvasive, effective but expensive means of pain relief for a number of chronic tendinopathies.	B	28,29
Surgery is an effective option in carefully selected patients who have failed three to six months of conservative therapy.	B	31,32